Tuesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
Readings for Tuesday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time[1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible at Universalis
Commentary:
Reading 1 Sir 2:1-11
The son of Sirach begins the second chapter of his work with an injunction to keep faithful and steadfast in God. He asks that we not waiver in the face of adversity which will come. He also uses that analogy from Daniel of being tested as gold and silver are tested.
In the second paragraph we begin with a litany for the faithful – first to wait for the Lord, then to trust him, hope in him, and finally to love him. He reminds the reader of God’s compassion and mercy in the past and assures his forgiveness to those who seek it.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.
Psalm 37 continues the plea to be faithful to God and remain steadfast in the time of adversity. The psalmist adds that those who turn away should return and God will give them salvation.
Gospel Mk 9:30-37
The Gospel story picks up following the cure of the boy with the Mute Spirit from yesterday. Jesus and his disciples continue their journey through Galilee and he teaches them in private about what is to come.
While the disciples clearly understand the Lord is to leave them, they do not yet grasp the nature of his mission as they are arguing about who among them will be greatest once victory is achieved. The Lord sees this in them and when they don’t respond to his direct question he gives them the example of first a servant and then a child so they can understand that it is through humility and innocence that God’s servants lead.
Reflection:
We find ourselves on this last day before we begin our Lenten journey with a message from Sirach that sets us up spiritually for tomorrow’s Ash Wednesday celebration. The author reminds us that we have and will be tested if we remain faithful to God. And that faithfulness is what we must understand today.
Faithfulness to God means following his commandments, his law. His Law is not simply the one that the son of Sirach understood. He saw the law as the Torah which contains the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) and the associated laws from Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers. We have that set of laws but they were interpreted for us by God’s only Son who placed a law above the Law of the Torah – the Law of Love in the Great Commandment.
When Jesus wrapped God’s Law in love he transformed it from a burden to be borne on bowed back into a garment to be worn lightly, protecting us. He took away the strict but purposeless discipline and replaced it with a life that naturally conforms itself to God own. Suddenly the face of mercy is truly revealed and the giant Hammer of Justice is replaced with the Cross of Salvation.
The words of Sirach remind us that we are called to be a people who to wait for the Lord, then who trust in Him, hope in Him, and finally to love Him with all our hearts, all our strength and all our spirit. This goal is filled in with Jesus reminder from Mark’s Gospel that if we wish to lead others to him we must first be servants and finally form our faith as an innocent child. In this way we are faithful to him – this is our goal.
As we anticipate our Lenten season of introspection and penitence and think about those things we will do over the next forty days to prepare our selves for Easter joy let us pray first that we have the strength of faithfulness, the humility of the servant, and the innocent faith of a child.
Pax
Readings for Tuesday of the 7th Week in Ordinary Time[1]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible at Universalis
Commentary:
Reading 1 Sir 2:1-11
The son of Sirach begins the second chapter of his work with an injunction to keep faithful and steadfast in God. He asks that we not waiver in the face of adversity which will come. He also uses that analogy from Daniel of being tested as gold and silver are tested.
In the second paragraph we begin with a litany for the faithful – first to wait for the Lord, then to trust him, hope in him, and finally to love him. He reminds the reader of God’s compassion and mercy in the past and assures his forgiveness to those who seek it.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 37:3-4, 18-19, 27-28, 39-40
R. Commit your life to the Lord, and he will help you.
Psalm 37 continues the plea to be faithful to God and remain steadfast in the time of adversity. The psalmist adds that those who turn away should return and God will give them salvation.
Gospel Mk 9:30-37
The Gospel story picks up following the cure of the boy with the Mute Spirit from yesterday. Jesus and his disciples continue their journey through Galilee and he teaches them in private about what is to come.
While the disciples clearly understand the Lord is to leave them, they do not yet grasp the nature of his mission as they are arguing about who among them will be greatest once victory is achieved. The Lord sees this in them and when they don’t respond to his direct question he gives them the example of first a servant and then a child so they can understand that it is through humility and innocence that God’s servants lead.
Reflection:
We find ourselves on this last day before we begin our Lenten journey with a message from Sirach that sets us up spiritually for tomorrow’s Ash Wednesday celebration. The author reminds us that we have and will be tested if we remain faithful to God. And that faithfulness is what we must understand today.
Faithfulness to God means following his commandments, his law. His Law is not simply the one that the son of Sirach understood. He saw the law as the Torah which contains the Decalogue (Ten Commandments) and the associated laws from Leviticus, Deuteronomy, and Numbers. We have that set of laws but they were interpreted for us by God’s only Son who placed a law above the Law of the Torah – the Law of Love in the Great Commandment.
When Jesus wrapped God’s Law in love he transformed it from a burden to be borne on bowed back into a garment to be worn lightly, protecting us. He took away the strict but purposeless discipline and replaced it with a life that naturally conforms itself to God own. Suddenly the face of mercy is truly revealed and the giant Hammer of Justice is replaced with the Cross of Salvation.
The words of Sirach remind us that we are called to be a people who to wait for the Lord, then who trust in Him, hope in Him, and finally to love Him with all our hearts, all our strength and all our spirit. This goal is filled in with Jesus reminder from Mark’s Gospel that if we wish to lead others to him we must first be servants and finally form our faith as an innocent child. In this way we are faithful to him – this is our goal.
As we anticipate our Lenten season of introspection and penitence and think about those things we will do over the next forty days to prepare our selves for Easter joy let us pray first that we have the strength of faithfulness, the humility of the servant, and the innocent faith of a child.
Pax
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